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Free-agent infielder Matt Carpenter has signed a deal with the New York Yankees.
The Yankees media relations department announced Carpenter signed a Major League contract on Thursday. He has been added to their 26-man roster.
The move comes after New York placed Josh Donaldson, Joey Gallo and Kyle Higashioka on the COVID-19 injured list earlier this week. Giancarlo Stanton was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday due to ankle inflammation.
This will mark Carpenter’s first appearance in the big leagues in 2022. He signed a minor-league deal with the Texas Rangers in March and accepted an assignment with their Triple-A affiliate at the end of spring training.
In 21 games with the Round Rock Express, Carpenter hit .275/.379/.613 with six homers and 19 RBI. He was released by the Rangers on May 19 in a mutual decision by both parties due to a lack of opportunity with the MLB team.
Carpenter played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2011-2021, making three All-Star Games. He had a cup of coffee for the 2011 World Series champions with 19 plate appearances and eventually became a staple in the team’s lineup by the end of the 2012 campaign.
His best season was in 2013, when he led Major League Baseball with 126 runs, 199 hits and 55 doubles. Carpenter hit .318 (.873 OPS) with 11 home runs and 78 RBI.
The former TCU star also made the All-Star Game in 2014 and 2016 and paced the NL with 44 doubles in 2015. His .897 OPS in 2018 marked a career-best output.
Carpenter’s bat began to decline in 2019 as injuries took their toll. He went on the injured list with a lower back strain and a right foot contusion, finishing the year hitting .226.
The pandemic-shortened 2020 season ended with his batting average sinking below the Mendoza Line to .186 before bottoming out at .169 (.581 OPS) in 2021.
Carpenter had a vesting option for $18.5 million in the 2022 season if he had 550 plate appearances in 2021, but he had just 249 and became a free agent after the season.
Overall, the Cardinals made the playoffs in eight of 11 seasons with Carpenter on the team. He was a great Cardinals player who should easily find himself in the team’s Hall of Fame someday.
However, his 11-year Redbirds tenure is over. Entering his age-36 season, Carpenter will hope for a healthy year to regain his pre-2019 form, when he was one of the game’s best National League-hitting infielders.
The Yankees need depth right now due to Stanton’s injury and the other players unavailable due to the COVID-19 injured list. Carpenter may not return to the peak levels he had with the Cardinals, but his brief stint in Triple-A with Texas is an encouraging sign that he might have more fuel left in the tank.
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